Porch shade or blind.



H. E. RATHBUN. PORCH SHADE OR BLlND.-

APPLICATION FILED MAY.24. I916.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919. 2 'SHEETSSHEET 1.

1,302,218, @wdl.

H. E. RATHBUN.

PORCH SHADE OR BLIND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 1916.

1,302,218.; Patented Apr. 29, 1919. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

HENRY E. RATHBUN', 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PORCH SHADE 0R BLIND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 19119..

Application filed May 24, 1916. Serial No. 99,691.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY E. RATHBUN, a citizen of the United- States, residing at Worcester, in the county of lVorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Porch Shades or Blinds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a porch shade, or blind, and to that class of porch shades in which there are a series of strips or slats, secured together and held in place by strands or cords, and, adapted to be rolled, or drawn up, by means of cords, and pulleys, and my invention particularly relates to that class of porch shades shown in my Letters Patent No. 1,180,880.

The porch shade shown and described in said patent, and porch shades of a similar type, are. adapted to be rolled, or drawn up from the bottom only, either partially, or fully, to leave an open space below the shade or blind.

The object of my present invention is to combine with the porch shade shown and described in my said patent, and with other porch shades of a similar type, supplemental mechanism, by means of which the shade may be lowered or dropped at the top, so as to leave an open space over the upper edge of the shade, and my invention consists in certain novel features of construction of m improvements, as will be hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings Figure 1 is a front View of a porch shade or blind, with my improvements combined therewith; two of the cords are shown partially broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section, on line 2, 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of arrow at, same figure.

, Fig. 3 shows the upper part of the shade shown in Fig. 1, with the outer pulleys and cords left ofl'.

Fig. 4 is, on an enlarged scale, a front view of the cord holder.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 4, looking in the direction of arrow 6, same figure.

I have shown in the'drawings a porch shade, or blind, of the construction shown and described in my Patent, No. 1,180,880, above referred to, with my improvements combined therewith, but it will be understood that my improvements may becombined with porch shades, or blinds of a different construction, if desired.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 are flat strips or slats, which form the body of the shade, 2 are flexible strands or cords, which extend upon opposite sides of the slats and are interwoven in the usual and well known way, to secure said slats together and hold them in position. 3 is the top edge of the shade, and 4 the bottom edge, the bottom edge consisting in this instance of three strips or slats, having their contiguous faces corrugated or grooved longitudinally, to hold the ends of the strands 2, which pass between them. 0

Below the lower edge 4 of the shade, and

near each end thereof, are two single pulleys 5 and 6, secured to the floor, in this instance by wire hooks 7, and 8, respectively. Intermediate the two pulleys 5, and 6, in this instance is a clamping device, which consists of plate 9, secured to the floor, and having extending up therefrom stands 9, see Fig. 2, between which are located two pulleys 10, and 11, which are pivotally mounted on said stands 9, to have a rotary movement. A latch 12 forms the movable part of the clamping device, and is pivotally mounted at 13 on a stand 9" extending up from the plate 9. The latch 12 has a forked shaped end 12, which extends on the outside of the stands 9, and the pulleys 10, and 11. A spirally coiled expansion spring 14 extends between the outer end of the base 9, and the outer end of the latch 12, and is held in place by a stud 9 on the base 9, and a stud 12 on the latch 12, see Fig. 2. The spring 14 acts to hold the outer end of the latch 12 in its raised position, and the inner yoked end in its lowered position, to press upon and clamp the cords 15, and 16, which pass around the pulleys 5, and 6, and under the pulleys 10, and 11, respectively.

The cords 15 and 16 are endless cords, the free ends being knotted together, in this instance at 15, and 16, respectively, see Fig. 1. The cords 15, and 16, pass through the guide eyes 17, in this instance on the lowest slat, forming the lower edge of the shade, and through guide loops 18, and 19, which extend between two of the slats, and are held in place by the strands 2, passing through eyes in said guide loops.

All of the above described parts are of the same construction, as similar parts i shown in the Patent, No. 1,180,880, above referred to, and operated in the same manner.

I will now describe my improvements, combined in this instance with the parts of the porch shade or blind above described.

- A bar 20, Figs. 1, and 2, is made separate from the porch shade, and is adapted to be secured in a fixed position, where it is de sired to use the shade, by screws, or other attaching means. The bar 20 is preferably made of L shape in cross section, so as to leave a groove or recess 20, extending along the front face of saidbar 20, see Fig. 2.

On the front side of the bar 20, on the upper part thereof, are secured, near each end thereof, by a bolt or otherwise, two single pulleys 21, and 22. Intermediate the two end pulleys 21, and 22, are two pulleys 23, and 24. The cord 15 passes over the end pulley 21, and over the inner pulley 23, and the cord 16 passes over the end pulley 22, and over the outer pulley 24, in the same manner as described in my patent above referred to.

By means of the endless cords 15, and 16, and the pulley mechanism above described, the shade or blind is drawn up from its lower edge, by the operator grasping the cords 15, and 16, and drawing them down, the outer end of the latch 12 having been first pushed down, against the action of the spring 14, to release the pressure of the inner end 12 of said latch on the two cords 15 and 16.

When the shade is drawn up, at its lower edge, tothe desired height, the latch is released, and the pressure of the inner end of said latch'12 on the cords 15, and 16, acts to hold said cords, and hold the shade in its raised position, all as set forth in my said patent.

In addition to the pulley mechanism, and cords, shown in the drawings, and above described, for drawing up the shade from the bottom, I provide in my present improvements a second set of pulleys and cords, for lowering or dropping the shade at the top.

In the recessed part 20 of the bar 20 are secured, near each end thereof, a single pulley 25, and a single pulley 26. Intermediate the two single pulleys 25, and 26, and preferably in line with the two pulleys 23, and 24, are two pulleys 27, and 28.

A cord 29 is attached at one end, in this instance, by an eye 30, to the upper edge of the top slat, forming the top edge of the shade, the cord 29 passes over the single pulley 25, and over the front pulley 27, and then down and through an opening in the upper end of the cord holder 31, and then up and over the inner pulley 28, and then over the pulley 26 to an eye 30' in the upper edge of the upper slat of the shade, see Fig. 1.

The cord holder 31 has in this instance a spring catch 32, consisting of a spring loop 32, and two free ends-32, see Fig. 4. The spring 32 is secured to the holder 31 by two screws 33 passing through eyes in said catch 32, and secured in the side edges of the holder 31. 1

A single cord 34 is secured at its lower end to a wire eye 35, attached to one of the stands 9 on the plate 9, see Fig. 2. The cord 34 passes up within the lower end of the holder 31, and out through a slot or opening 31 in the front side of said holder 31, and under the spring loop 32, as shown in the drawlngs.

hen it is desired to lower the shade from the top, the spring loop 32 is moved outwardly, to release the cord 34, and the holder 31 is moved upwardly by the operator, on the cord 34, causing the cord 29 to pass over the end pulleys 25, and26, and the two middle pulleys 27 and 28, to drop or lower the top of the shade, as shown in Fig. 1.

When the shade is lowered to the desired distance, the spring 32 is released, and the loop 32 acts to engage the cord 34 and hold it, and with it the holder 31.

When it is desired to raise the shade, the cord 34 is released, by moving out the spring loop 32', and the'cord holder 31 is drawn down on the cord 34, and through the cord 29, and the pulleys 25, 26, 27, and 28, the top of the shade is raised to its highest position, as shown in Fig. 3.

From the above description, in connection with the drawings, it will be readily seen, that the porch shade or blind may be raised, or drawn up from the bottom, in the same manner as described in my patent, above referred to, and in addition to being drawn up from the bottom, to furnish an opening below the lower edge of the shade, it may also be dropped, or raised from the top, by my supplemental mechanism, inde' pendently of the raising, or lowering of the shade from the bottom, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that the details of construction of my improvements may be varied if desired, and they may be adapted to be applied to porch shades or blinds of different construction. The cords may be arranged to extend on-either side, or on both sides of the shade, if preferred.

It will be seen that by my construction and arrangement of the pulley and cord mechanism, there is no looseor surplus cord, but that all of the cord, connected with the porch shade or blind, and the pulleys, is under tension, whether the shade is in its raised, or lowered position, or in a partial raised, or lowered position, and that the raising and lowering of the shade is all done through cords located at the front of the shade, and at or near the central portion thereof, and

intermediate the side edges, the operator grasping these cords and drawing them down, or raising them up as desired.

Having thus described my invention, What 5 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a porch shade or lind, comprising a series of strips or slats, and strands to secure them together, of mechanism to lower or raise said shade from the top, said mechanism, comprising pulleys attached to a stationary bar or fixture, a cord Copies attached to the shade, and passing over said pulleys, a cord holder for said cord, and a second cord attached in a fixed position at one end, and adjustably connected with said cord holder at its other end, and means for adjustably connecting said cord with said cord holder.

HENRY E. RATHBUN.

Witnesses JOHN C. DEWEY, MINNA HAAS.

of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. E. 

